25% of covid in UK and Hong Kong are CH.1.1 infections and CH.1.1 forms 10% of covi variant samples tested
Image : Omicron mutant strain. schematic diagram. (pixabay)
奥密克戎新变种CH.1.1 具特殊突变 危险性增大
Scientists are paying close attention to the development of the new variant CH.1.1 of the CCP virus (new coronavirus). The strain now accounts for about 25% of infections in England and Hong Kong, and has emerged in mainland China. CH.1.1 has shown extraordinary ability to evade the existing covi vaccine as it shows the L452R mutation as it appears in the Delta strain.
CH.1.1. is a subvariety of the Omicron strain and belongs to a branch of the mainstream strain BA.2.75. According to data from the website "outbreak.info", the covi information resource bank, since November 2022, about 10% of the samples tested manifest this subvariant.
A preprint paper published last week by researchers at Ohio State University found that about a third of infections in parts of New Zealand are now caused by CH.1.1, a variant that has emerged in Southeast Asia since last fall. It now accounts for about a quarter of all COVID-19 cases in the UK, Hong Kong, and Papua New Guinea.
The paper stated that although the current subtype variants such as CH.1.1, XBB.1.5, and CA.3.1 are all increasing proportionally globally, infectious disease experts believe that it cannot be ruled out that the latest strains will trigger another wave of new crown infections and lead to an increase in hospitalizations.
According to the preprint paper, CH.1.1 showed remarkable evasion ability against the neutralization of the new version of the vaccine booster (bivalent vaccine). Even more worrying, the researchers found the L452R mutation in the S protein of this mutant strain. The mutation, which is not normally present in other subtypes of Omecron, has been present in the deadly delta variant, which worries scientists.
The paper states that while CH.1.1 is not a recombinant or combination of Delta and Omicron, it is a prime example of "convergent evolution". This means that CH.1.1 may surpass other Omicron strains in the fields of transmissibility and pathogenicity.
News (8)
CH.1.1 binds well to the ACE2 receptor, causes breakthrough infections
The Ohio researchers also found that CH.1.1 also binds well to the ACE2 receptor, which is the receptor through which the covi enters host cells. This means that CH.1.1 may have a certain degree of ability to counteract the body's previous antibodies acquired through infection or vaccination, and is more likely to cause breakthrough infections and lead to more serious diseases.
According to the paper, the researchers conducted related experiments on the immune evasion ability of CH.1.1. They collected serum samples from 14 medical staff (these medical staff received 2 to 4 doses of the original vaccine and Omicron booster injections), and then tested the neutralization effect of these serums with CH.1.1, and found that the serum produced were 17-fold fewer antibodies against CH.1.1 than against BA.4 and BA.5.
According to the Fortune report based on the Ohio State researchers, CH.1.1 also binds well to ACE2 receptors, the site where covid infects human cells, according to Ohio State researchers. That means it has the potential to override—at least partially—antibody immunity from prior infection and vaccination, as well as to cause more severe disease. It may be able to out-perform other competitive Omicron strains in these arenas due to a concerning L452R mutation seen in Delta, but generally not in Omicron.
The Ohio State researchers used a lab-created version of CH.1.1 and examined how well serum from 14 healthcare workers—who had received between two and four doses of the original vaccine, and the new Omicron booster—neutralized it. They found that the workers’ sera created 17 times fewer antibodies against CH.1.1 as they did against BA.4 and BA.5.
CH.1.1 and another new subvariant, CA.3.1, are more immune evasive than XBB and BQ subvariants, the researchers wrote, calling the finding “astonishing.”
CA.3.1 is first identified in the U.S. and also carries the L452R mutation, according to the Ohio State researchers.
Image : Distribution and infectivity of emerging Omicron subvariants XBB.1.5, CH.1.1, and CA.3.1.(A) Schematic depiction of the relationships between different Omicron subvariants, with key lineage-defining amino acid mutations for each displayed. (B) Distribution of recently emerged Omicron subvariants in the United States (USA) starting in early October of 2022 through the beginning of January 2023. Data were collected from the CDC and plotted using Prism software. Infectivity of pseudotyped lentiviruses carrying each of the indicated S of the Omicron subvariants was determined in (C) HEK293T cells over expressing human ACE2 and (D) human lung cell-derived epithelial line CaLu-3. Transfection efficiency and S protein expression were comparable among all variants tested, as shown by western blotting in Figure 3E. Bars in (B-C) represent means ± standard deviation from three biological replicates. Significance relative to D614G was determined using a one-way repeated measures ANOVA with Bonferroni’s multiple testing correction (n=3). P values are displayed as ns p > 0.05, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001, and ****p < 0.0001.
News (9)
CH.1.1 infection doubles roughly every two weeks or so
Last week, a report by Cornelius Romer, a computational biologist at the University of Basel in Switzerland, found that CH.1.1, like XBB.1.5, is highly transmissible, with infection levels doubling roughly every two weeks or so. The report calls on scientists to pay closer attention to the strain.
News (10)
WHO is monitoring CH.1.1 as VOC
A report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday showed that the CH.1.1 virus variant is one of the viruses monitored by WHO.
It is worth noting that although the strains currently prevalent in mainland China are mainly BF.7 and BA.5.2, in the gene sequencing results released by the Chinese Communist Party from 25 December 2022 to 5 January 2023, it has already appeared three cases of CH.1.1 infection were detected.
According to the article "Research and Judgment on the Trend of Omicron Infection in China After Hong Kong and the Mainland Communicate" published on January 6 this year by the MedSci website "MedSci.cn", some Omicron infections had already appeared in Hong Kong at that time. They are cases of CH.1.1 subvariant infection.
News (11)
CH.1.1 is competitor of XBB.1.5
The article pointed out that CH.1.1, like XBB.1.5, belongs to the BA.2 series, and it is difficult to compete with XBB.1.5. Therefore, when XBB.1.5 is widespread in Hong Kong, the population has a high immunity to the BA.5 strain, which can weaken the spread of CH.1.1 to a certain extent. However, after XBB.1.5 has been prevalent for a period of time, the immunity of infected persons to BA.5 strains will decrease in the early stage, and it cannot be ruled out that CH.1.1.1/2 will become popular widespread again in Hong Kong.
News (12)
New covid cases are increasing in Hong Kong after mid-October 2022
The article also mentioned that the covid epidemic in Hong Kong experienced an overall stable period last year, but after mid-October 2022, new cases began to show an upward trend again, and the growth rate will be more obvious after 2023. At the same time, the development trend of the number of deaths from the epidemic also showed an overall growth trend.
According to the research report of Ohio State University, the CH.1.1 strain began to spread in Southeast Asia (including Hong Kong) precisely from last fall, and now, the CH.1.1 strain has accounted for about 25% of the covid cases in Hong Kong.
News (13)
Either exposure to BA.5 or BA.2.75 may increase vulnerability to the other subvariant
Most dominant covi strains right now are descendents of either
BA.5, which swept the world this summer, or BA.2.75. The variant “family” is
important to note, experts say, as recent exposure to BA.2.75 or BA.5—or one of
their spawn—may offer some temporary protection against infection from that
family.
For
example: If you were recently exposed to a BA.5 variant, you may be less
vulnerable to new BA.5 variants for a time, but more vulnerable to BA.2.75
variants, and vice versa. (Of note, XBB.1.5 is also a descendent of BA.2.75.)
With
covid, there are exceptions to every rule, it seems: Japan just saw
back-to-back BA.5 waves that caused deaths there to skyrocket to an all-pandemic
high.
News (14)
The existing bivalent vaccine cannot defend against CH.1.1 and CA.3.1
Protection offered by the original covi vaccine
is waning, the Ohio State researchers wrote. They recommended the new Omicron
booster but noted that it will offer less protection against CH.1.1 and CA.3.1
than it will against other variants like XBB and BQ.1.1.
News (15)
Symptoms of CH.1.1 infection
Duncan Reid, Pharmacist at Pharmacy2U, shared that first signs can include sore
throat, runny nose, congestion and cough.
Reid said: “As the variant comes from a
similar lineage to Kraken and Omicron, the early symptoms are likely to be
similar to cold-like symptoms.
“Other non-cold-like symptoms may
also include loss of appetite, nausea, back pain and shortness of breath.
“While it should be clear that not every case of nausea or back
pain is going to be linked to Covid, it
would be sensible for people to be aware of these potential symptoms.
“If there is any doubt about your Covid status, use a lateral
flow test – especially if you have any of the ‘classic’ symptoms as well.”
Dr Basford added other symptoms include sneezing, headaches,
muscle aches and a weaker sense of smell, as seen with other Omicron strains.
Ref: https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1727226/covid-orthrus-variant-symptoms-signs-sore-throat-runny-nose
News (16) to (21) / Reporter : Ye Weichen / https://news.tvbs.com.tw/life/2028606
News (16)
Is there another Demon King strain? There are also 11 cases of "Orthrus" in Taiwan, Luo Yijun exposes Taiwan's condition
Reporter : Ye Weichen / https://news.tvbs.com.tw/life/2028606 / Image : Luo Yijun, deputy head of the medical response team. (Picture/Command Center)
The command center announced on 30 January 2023 that 125 new confirmed cases of Omicron subtype variant strains were confirmed in the Republic of China, including 40 local cases (21 cases of BA.2.75, 14 cases of BA.5, and 5 cases of BQ.1) and 85 cases of inbound cases (46 cases BA.5, 28 cases BF.7, 8 cases BA.2.75, 3 cases BQ.1). However, foreign media reported that CH.1.1 (also known as "Orthrus") of the Omicron mutant strain has the same mutation as the Delta mutant virus, which may make it a "more terrifying enemy". Luo Yijun, deputy head of the medical response team, explains that in fact, Taiwan has actually detected 11 cases since 2022, but all of them were mild.
Image : Monitoring results of imported and local Omicron mutant strains last week. (Photo/Central Epidemic Command Center)
Luo Yijun, deputy head of the medical response team, said that virus sequencing continued during the Lunar New Year holidays, and the virus strains have changed significantly compared with before. BA.2.75 has exceeded 50% last week, accounting for 53%, and it also exceeds BA.5. At present, the mainstream local virus strains are followed by BA.5, BQ.1 while XBB.1.5 has not been detected.
He explained that BA.2.75 is a branch of BA.2, and it also has a certain chance of immune escape and reinfection, but from the perspective of the epidemic, he is still more worried about other new variants such as XBB.1.5 or BQ.1.
News (17)
CH.1.1 detected in Japan, South Korea, Singapore in November 2022 introduced to Taiwan
At the end of last year, 11 cases of CH.1.1 were detected in the Republic of China, and 4 cases were local mild cases. The first case was as early as 20 November 2022, and the rest are most overseas immigrants from Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and New Zealand.
Although there are also immune escapes and repeated infections, no severe cases have been found, and the hospitalization rate has not increased significantly, and cases will continue to be monitored.
Image : Monitoring results of emerging Omicron variant strains. (Photo/Central Epidemic Command Center)
News (18)
Republic of China covid tally as of 30 January 2023
According to the statistics of the command center, up to now, there have been 1,551 cases of imported Omicron subtype variants detected in the Republic of China: 1,551 cases of BA.5, 1,032 cases of BA.2, 162 cases of BA.2.75, 151 cases of BF.7, BA. .4 is 104 cases, BQ.1 is 50 cases, and XBB is 32 cases; the other accumulated local confirmed cases: BA.5 is 1,610 cases, BA.2 is 2,538 cases, BA.2.75 is 92 cases, BQ.1 is 27 cases 12 cases of BF.7, 5 cases of XBB, and 5 cases of BA.4.
According to the command center, for the 85 cases imported from CCP China and other countries, 62 are males and 23 are females, aged between 10s and 80s, and the date of entry is between 8 January and 21 January 2023. Among them, 46 cases of BA.5 are detected from China (43 cases), Japan (3 cases); 28 cases of BF.7 cases were imported from China; 8 cases of BA.2.75 entered Taiwan from Japan (3 cases), South Korea (2 cases), 1 case each from China, Thailand and Australia; 3 cases of BQ.1 are from Japan (2 cases) and 1 case from the United States.
News (19)
WHO: BA.5 and its derivative variants account for about 68.1% of covid cases in the world
According to the command center, the World Health Organization (WHO) pointed out on 25 January 2023 that BA.5 and its derivative variants (including BQ.x, BF.7) are still the mainstream strains in the world, accounting for about 68.1%, followed by BA.2 and its derivative variants accounted for about 16%, and XBB and other recombinant virus variants accounted for about 10%.
News (20)
XBB.1.5 detected in more than 54 countries
Recently, XBB.1.5 variants have been detected in at least 54 countries, mostly from the United States, followed by the United Kingdom and Canada. Mutant strains such as BQ.1, BQ.1.1, BF.7, BA.2.75.2, and XBB have developed immune escape characteristics and have better transmission advantages but whether they will cause a new wave of epidemics in the Republic of China still depends on the immunity of the population in the area.
According to the existing evidence, there is no significant increase in the severity of covid. In addition, the WHO stated that there is no evidence that the XBB.1.5 variant poses more risk than other Omicron subtype variants. The command center will continue to closely monitor the evolution and prevalence of international virus strains that are of risk to public health.
News (21)
Taiwan is sequencing gene of respiratory samples from children suffering from covid and encephalitis at the same time
The command center emphasized that according to existing research, vaccination with next-generation vaccine supplements is still protective against emerging mutant strains such as BQ.1, BF.7, and XBB, and can reduce the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, or death caused by covid. The public is requested to complete the vaccination as soon as possible, and implement personal epidemic prevention measures such as frequent hand washing and wearing masks to gain protection. The command center will continue the type inspection and sequencing ratio of variant strains of overseas and local cases, and focus on the gene sequencing of respiratory samples from severe and reinfected cases of children diagnosed with covid and encephalitis.
News (22)
Pfizer R&D explores covid virus "mutation" via "directed evolution" to continue benefiting from vaccines
Project Veritas on Wednesday night (26 January 2023) released explosive video of Jordon Trishton Walker, Pfizer Director of Research
and Development, Strategic Operations, admitting the pharma giant is exploring
‘mutating’ Covid-19 via ‘directed evolution’ so the company can continue to
profit off of vaccines.
“One of the things we’re exploring is like, why don’t we just
mutate it [COVID] ourselves so we could create — preemptively develop new
vaccines, right? So, we have to do that. If we’re gonna do that though, there’s
a risk of like, as you could imagine — no one wants to be having a pharma
company mutating f**king viruses,” Walker told the undercover Project Veritas
journalist.
“Don’t tell
anyone. Promise you won’t tell anyone. The way it [the experiment] would work
is that we put the virus in monkeys, and we successively cause them to keep
infecting each other, and we collect serial samples from them,” he said.
Walker says that
Directed Evolution is different than Gain-of-Function, which is defined as “a
mutation that confers new or enhanced activity on a protein.” In other words,
it means that a virus such as SARS-CoV-2 can become more potent depending on
the mutation / scientific experiment performed on it.
The Pfizer executive told a Veritas
journalist about his company’s plan for COVID vaccines, while acknowledging
that people would not like this information if it went public.
“You’re not supposed to do Gain-of-Function research with viruses.
Regularly not. We can do these selected structure mutations to make them more
potent. There is research ongoing about that. I don’t know how that is going to
work. There better not be any more outbreaks,” he said.
News (23)
U.S. mainstream media silent on Pfizer undercover video, Global Times reacts
Source : https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202301/1284446.shtml
An undercover video featuring an allegedly Pfizer executive
bragging about how his company was exploring intentionally mutating COVID strains
to profit from future mRNA vaccines has exploded across social media
recently.
In the video, Jordon Trishton Walker, described as Pfizer Director of Research
and Development, Strategic Operations and mRNA Scientific Planning, claims that
his company is exploring a way to "mutate" COVID via "Directed
Evolution" to preempt the development of future vaccines. The man told a
Project Veritas journalist about Pfizer's plan for COVID vaccines, while
acknowledging that people would not like this information if it went
public.
Pfizer on Friday issued a statement in response saying "in the ongoing
development of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, Pfizer has not conducted
gain of function or directed evolution research," but it added "In a
limited number of cases when a full virus does not contain any known gain of
function mutations, such virus may be engineered to enable the assessment of
antiviral activity in cells."
The video has sparked wide public concern with over 41.2 million views on
Twitter alone.
Walker also bluntly said in the video that COVID is going to be a "cash
cow" for Pfizer for a while going forward. Is Pfizer really manipulating
COVID-19 for profits and does it in secret? How far has the research gone? What
risks will it bring? The public naturally has many questions and demands
answers. However, most of the US and Western mainstream media outlets and US
politicians have collectively kept mum on the issue revealed in the video. This
is quite abnormal in the American public opinion field known for its diversity.
The authenticity of this video has yet to be confirmed. In the face of public
doubts, shouldn't the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), lawmakers and the
media conduct further investigations and give the public an explanation?
Till now, the vast majority of US media outlets and politicians are ignoring
it. This is in stark contrast to their keenness to hype the odds of new COVID
mutations after China optimized its COVID policies. On the issue concerning a
big US pharmaceutical company, it seems American media outlets are all much
more "professional and rational." They are quite prudent to make any
conclusion.
If an undercover video of similar kind was exposed in China, there is no doubt
that the Chinese public and officials would take it very seriously. Not only
the company involved must give a detailed explanation, relevant authorities
will quickly conduct an investigation to find the truth.
Tucker Carlson, host of Fox News, was a rarity among US media persons on this
issue as he touched upon the topic. "In this country, drug companies spend
more on lobbying the Congress than any other industry, a lot more than any
other industry and they don't do it by accident. They do it because it pays
off," Tucker said.
According to data from Pfizer, more than 4.3 billion Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19
vaccines were shipped to 181 countries across the world by the late of 2022.
Not long ago, Albert Bourla, Chief Executive Officer of Pfizer, encountered a
series of tough questions from a journalist about the efficacy of its COVID
vaccine on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meeting.
"Western media doesn't speak for truth, but is profits-oriented," a
Chinese expert who requires anonymity told the Global Times. "Everyone
knows that major American pharmaceutical companies and capital-controlled
mainstream media are inextricably linked by interests. The silence of many
media outlets in face of the video once again reflects the hypocrisy of US
media."
Source : https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202301/1284446.shtml
News (24)
Xi Jinping's unification of Taiwan depends on his mouth first? Wang Huning's division of labor attracts attention
Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the New Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China, is expected to succeed Wang Yang as the chairman of the CPPCC National Committee. Japanese media quoted sources as revealing that Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping appointed Wang Huning to formulate a new strategy for Taiwan unification to replace the dead-end "one country, two systems" plan. Analysts believe that Xi's new strategy for unifying Taiwan is still to "talk the guns" first, and use force only after verbal attacks fail.
Among the Seven Standing Committee members of the last CCP, Li Keqiang, Wang Yang and Wang Huning were all 67 years old. According to the CCP’s unwritten practice of “up and down”, they could all stay in their posts. While Li Keqiang could stay, Wang Yang leave early.
"Nikkei Asian Review" quoted sources inside the CCP on 26 January as saying that this high-level personnel change arrangement contains a major political strategy of Xi Jinping. Xi is trying to seek a fourth term.
The Chinese Communist Party media Xinhua News Agency reported on 18 January that Wang Huning appeared on the list of members of the new Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. According to the usual practice, he will succeed Wang Yang as the chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in March.
The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference is an organization dedicated to united front tasks, including winning over Taiwan. Wang Huning was appointed chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and is expected to become the deputy head of the Central Leading Group for Taiwan Work. This is the highest decision-making body for the CCP to deal with the Taiwan issue, and the general secretary of the CCP is usually the team leader.
The Nikkei reported that the so-called "one country, two systems" proposal proposed by former CCP leader Deng Xiaoping to ensure a high degree of autonomy in Hong Kong was originally an important plan for the CCP to resort to peaceful reunification with Taiwan. However, since Xi Jinping took a tough stance on Hong Kong after taking office, the public opinion in Taiwan has changed suddenly. "One country, two systems" is no longer feasible. The top leaders of the Communist Party of China are well aware of this. Therefore, Xi Jinping decided to formulate a plan for the new unification of Taiwan belonging to the Xi Jinping era.
According to sources familiar with the CCP’s internal affairs, most outsiders believe that the threat of the CCP’s military reunification of Taiwan is imminent, but this is not the case. The CCP must first propose a new set of theories to replace the “one country, two systems” proposal, and then use this to put pressure on Taiwan.
The source believes that the new theory will become an indicator to measure the progress of the united front against Taiwan, and use it to decide whether it is necessary to use force.
Professor Zhang Tianliang, a political analyst and commentator, stated in "Daybreak" that Xi Jinping wants Wang Huning to invent some new theory, which means that the military reunification of Taiwan will not start immediately.
"Using force against Taiwan does not need a reason at all, and it is impossible for Xi Jinping to create any reason that can be accepted by the international community, and this kind of reason is not raised today and then launched tomorrow." Zhang Tianliang said.
He believes that if Xi Jinping wants to attack Taiwan, the blitzkrieg is the most likely. But it's not like you can shoot your head today and you can hit it tomorrow. Because the mobilization of the army, the preparation of weapons, including the transportation of various logistics materials, etc., all take a long time, and it is impossible to hide it from the US intelligence system.
According to Zhang Tianliang's analysis, Wang Huning's strategy may focus on the 2024 Taiwan general election, hoping that the DPP will lose the election. Although Xi Jinping asked Wang Huning to invent some theories, in fact, the most the CCP can do is to maintain a wait-and-see attitude. That is to say, the CCP has no determination or timetable for military reunification of Taiwan.
Tang Jingyuan, a current affairs commentator in the United States, believes that the news disclosed by the Japanese media is further proof that Xi Jinping's annexation of Taiwan has been put on the agenda. After Xi Jinping used the National Security Law to destroy Hong Kong, a model of one country, two systems, Taiwan's position has undergone a drastic change. Taiwanese people generally have no sense of trust in "one country, two systems." Therefore, Xi Jinping asked Wang Huning to formulate a new version of the Taiwan reunification strategy belonging to the Xi era, which would replace the "one country, two systems" solution.
Tang Jingyuan said that because Xi Jinping's goal is the fourth term, that is to say, he will see results within the next five years. Once the new plan fails, Xi Jinping may use force against Taiwan during the fourth term.
He analyzed that in Taiwan’s presidential election in 2024, if the Democratic Progressive Party continues to be in power, Xi Jinping may launch military operations against Taiwan in the latter part of his third term. The United States has predicted that the CCP may launch a war of aggression against Taiwan in 2027.
Tang Jingyuan reminded that whether it is military reunification or the so-called peaceful reunification, it is impossible for the leaders of the two sides of the strait to sit together and negotiate peacefully and reciprocally to achieve reunification. This is absolutely impossible, and Taiwan should actively prepare for war.
"The CCP is an organization that worships violence. If Taiwan does not have the determination and ability to defend itself, then any so-called 'cross-strait family' will only turn into democracy under the bayonet and freedom in handcuffs and shackles. For organizations like the CCP, speaking of it, one cannot speak of peace without knowing how to prepare for war." Tang Jingyuan said.
News (25)
US-China war for Taiwan in 2 years? Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives: The possibility is very high
Reporter : Yang Fuyi / https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/4195481 / Image : Mike McCaul, the newly appointed chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Relations Committee, told the Fox TV program on the 29th that the possibility of the United States conflicting with China in 2025 over Taiwan is indeed "very high." (Reuters)
Reuters reported that after the U.S. Air Force General Mike Minihan warned that the United States may go to war with CCP in two years, the new chairman of the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee Mike McCall (Mike Minihan) McCaul told the Fox network's "Fox News Sunday" program on 29 January that the possibility of a conflict between the United States and CCP China over Taiwan is indeed "very high."
"I hope I'm wrong, but my gut tells me we're going to be at war in 2025," Minihan, commander of the U.S. Air Force's Air Mobility Command, said in a memo to the leadership of his 110,000-strong force on the 27th. .”
"I hope Minihan is wrong ... but I think he's right," McCall said on Fox Network's "Fox News Sunday"; if China can't take control of Taiwan without bloodshed, then " In my opinion, they will consider a military invasion. We have to be ready for that."
In the memo, Minihan pointed out that both the United States and Taiwan will hold presidential elections in 2024, which may create opportunities for CCP China to take military action. Minihan's views do not speak for the Pentagon but reflect concerns at the highest levels of the U.S. military about possible CCP attempts to gain control of Taiwan.
"We could see a conflict situation with China, in Taiwan and in the Indo-Pacific region, the probability is very high," McCall said. He also accused U.S. President Joe Biden's Democratic administration of making a messy withdrawal from Afghanistan, highlighting U.S. weaknesses that could make war with China more likely.
U.S. Defense Secretary Austin said earlier this month that despite China's increased military activity near the Taiwan Strait, he was very skeptical that it meant Beijing was imminent invading the island. A U.S. Department of Defense official also said on the 28th that Minihan's statement "does not represent the Department of Defense's views on China."
News (26)
U.S. Admiral warns U.S. and China of fear of war over Taiwan, French Senate calls on including Taiwan to fight Communist
U.S. Air Force four-star general Minihan recently warned that the United States and China may be at war in 2025 because of Taiwan. On the 27th, the Indo-Pacific strategy report released by the French Senate called on the French government to face the CCP regime firmly and further include Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific strategy.
On Twitter, an internal US military memo was exposed, in which the US Air Force's four-star general Mike Minihan warned that "the US and China may be at war as soon as 2025, most likely because of Taiwan."
Foreign media "WION": "(Admiral Minihan) asked his commander to push his troops to reach the fullest combat readiness this year. An internal memo on this issue appeared on social media. , which was later confirmed by the Pentagon to be true."
Admiral Minihan said that the main purpose should be to deter and, if necessary, defeat China. In response to the threat from the CCP, the United States, Canada, and the Czech Republic have successively announced Indo-Pacific strategies, and pointed out the need to deepen cooperation with democratic partners such as Taiwan. The Indo-Pacific strategy report released by the French Senate on the 27th questioned that the French government's Indo-Pacific strategy is not clear enough, and most of it is "declarative".
The report pointed out that France has a total of about 8,000 troops stationed in the Indo-Pacific region, half of which are deployed in areas around the Arabian Sea in the Middle East, and the other half are scattered in various French territories in the Indo-Pacific region. The senator suggested that the region should be re-divided, focus on military power, and further include Taiwan, the Western Pacific, and Latin America.
Taiwan was mentioned more than 30 times in the report, calling on France to firmly face the CCP regime and not avoid the Taiwan issue.
News (27)
Cao Xingcheng shared the bronze statue of repaying favour with the title ring, satirizing the ungrateful sellers in Taiwan
Image : Cao Xingcheng posted a bronze sculpture of repaying kindness with a ring, satirizing pro-China traitors. (Taken from Cao Xingcheng Facebook)
Cao Xingcheng, the former chairman of UMC, posted on Facebook yesterday (29 January 2023) his collection of bronze sculptures with rings to repay gratitude, and explained the meaning of "knotting grass" and "rings" to repay gratitude. He also used this moral to satirize the pro-China people in Taiwan.
Cao Xingcheng posted on Facebook, posting his collection of bronze sculptures with rings to repay gratitude. He pointed out that the fraud of antiques and cultural relics in China is serious. What kind of imitation of cultural relics does it matter? In the eyes of the CCP, the so-called morality, right and wrong, is a fig leaf for the bourgeoisie and a stumbling block to the communist revolution.”
Cao Xingcheng also discussed "repaying kindness" through this sculpture. He said that "knotting grass" and "biting ring" both mean not forgetting to repay kindness. "Historical Records" tells dozens of stories of repaying kindness, indirectly criticizing Liu Bang and Empress Lu for being ungrateful and killing heroes; in addition, "Biography of Rangers" and "Biography of Assassins" in the book introduce many heroic feats who sacrificed their lives for righteousness, and also satirizes some common people. (such as tattooed cloth) who forget righteousness for profit and betray the old master.
Cao Xingcheng said that Sima Qian’s respect for being a chivalrous man and repaying one’s kindness in the Records of History also reflected the traditional Chinese outlook on life and morality in the pre-Qin period. “That’s the real traditional Chinese culture. The materialism displayed by the CCP, Ingratitude is a barbaric and hooligan behavior imported from the Soviet Union, which completely violates the true traditional values of the Chinese nation. The two Chiangs denounced the CCP as a gangster and destroyed Chinese traditional culture, and what they said is true.”
Cao Xingcheng criticized that what makes people feel emotional now is that among the second and third generations of the Kuomintang government, party, and army who came to Taiwan to avoid disaster with the two Chiangs, some were pro-China and licked the CCP, and wanted to serve as pawns for the CCP to annex Taiwan. Vanguard, during the Chiang Kai-shek period, their fathers and grandparents told them to eliminate the Communist bandits, but now they see that the CCP has cheated a lot of money from the world, and they are following the trend. They turn around and use "opposition to Taiwan independence" as an excuse to help the CCP to kill Taiwanese , "This kind of behavior of insulting the father and grandfather and being ungrateful is disgusting."
Cao Xingcheng said that he hoped that this bronze sculpture with a ring to repay his kindness could be seen by those who are seeking power and money, and let them understand what is the real Chinese culture and traditional morality in the pre-Qin period. He said, "At least you must know how to repay your kindness."
News (28)
Analysis: 106 days is the key, someone is waiting for Hu Xinyu's body to become bone
Reporter : Liming / Editor : Hu Long / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2023/01/29/a103637603.html / Image : Hu Xinyu, a first-year student at Zhiyuan Middle School in Shangrao, Jiangxi Province, disappeared mysteriously on campus on October 14, 2022. (Screenshot of missing person notice)
Beijing Time: 2023-01-30 04:43FacebookTwitterEmailPrintFont SizeTraditional
[New Tang Dynasty News, Beijing time, January 30, 2023] 106 days after Hu Xinyu, a 15-year-old boy from Shangrao, Jiangxi Province, China disappeared, the police suddenly announced that his body had been found in a forest not far from the school, causing strong public doubts. Some people believe that the reason why Hu Xinyu's body was found more than 100 days ago is because the body can only be boned 100 days after death, so it is impossible to prove whether the deceased lost his organs.
Hu Xinyu, a first-year student at Zhiyuan Middle School in Shangrao, Jiangxi Province, disappeared mysteriously on campus on 14 October 2022. For a long time, the police refused to open a criminal case for various reasons, and only investigated it as a disappearance. They also publicly suggested that Hu Xinyu was just tired of studying and ran away but the investigation of the case has not made any progress. 106 days after Hu Xinyu disappeared, the police suddenly reported that a local farmer found a "hanged" corpse in the Qianshan forest near the school. After DNA testing, "it was determined that the deceased was Hu Mouyu."
In response to the police's rhetoric and the many doubts in this case, the Internet and social media are overwhelmingly filled with various doubts and analyzes from netizens.
Li Chengpeng, a well-known Internet celebrity, tweeted: "Xiao Hu has been missing for 106 days. This forest has been screened by thousands of people. People will not be blind, and surveillance will not be disabled. People with forensic experience say that unless rapid weathering, so long that the weight of the body would have ripped off the flesh instead of hanging on the tree."
(webpage Screenshot)
Another twitter user @hongsir13386239 posted the weather records for October and November 2022 in Shangrao, Jiangxi that he found, showing that within a month after Hu Xinyu disappeared, the temperature in the area was basically in the 10s to 20 degrees or so. This netizen questioned, under such weather, the corpse has been hanging in the wild for more than 3 months without being discovered, who can believe it?
Another Internet celebrity, Wu Wenxing, reposted a popular science article on the Internet about the 100-day ossification of the body, and analyzed in the tweet: "Why did it take 106 days to find Hu Xinyu's body? On the 100th day of death, the body is skeletalized, so lost Can't find any organs?"
He questioned that Chongzhen, the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, hanged himself on Meishan, and was found by the peasant army two days later. Now there are drones and police dogs to help, and a large number of people in the county have searched the mountain, but they can't find it. This situation is "too weird."
Images : Webpage screenshots
On the Chinese social networking platform WeChat, some netizens who claimed to be locals from Qianshan posted that there were actually only a pile of bones and clothes at the scene, and the person who found the body was not a local farmer at all.
Image : Internet screenshot
Political commentator Qin Peng also tweeted that the temperature in Qianshan County, Shangrao City is very high, with an average temperature of 13 degrees even in January. It is impossible for the smell of corpses to remain undiscovered for such a long time. Some netizens ridiculed that "covid affects the sense of taste, but not the sense of smell."
He wrote: "The most critical organ is gone, and if there is an endorsement from the Public Security Bureau/Ministry, the suicide case can be closed. The new word 'hanging' created by the police has already hinted at the result."
In another tweet, Qin Peng quoted a comment from a Chinese netizen,"When you are alive, you can monitor your disappearance in the school, and you can avoid carpet searches after you are dead. Such a bombing operation is really beyond the reach of ordinary people. "
Netizens on the Internet in China also have various analyzes and speculations about this:
Image : Internet screenshot
Image : Internet screenshot
Image : Internet screenshot
Twitter user @Face27553965 lamented: "This is no longer a normal country, and the people are far from awakened."
@Fungus528 also wrote: "Such an insult to the IQ of the people shows how unscrupulous and arrogant the perpetrators are! Just because they hold huge power in their hands, they regard the people as ants and worthless, and let life and death be taken as they please!"
@Aqz4RhDMF0va2OQ pointed out: "Many people are still naively expecting the truth. Is there a truth to the Iron Chain Woman? Is there a truth to the Tangshan incident? The truth is all under thick skin. I don't expect any truth. Classmate Hu has already declared suicide after being hung up, and any doubts will be characterized as rumours."
News (29)
Chinese doctor says medical system is broken, paper used for death certificates runs out
The CCP suddenly lifted the lockdown last month, causing a tsunami of epidemics to erupt across the country. A doctor at a public hospital in southern China has blamed a shortage of medical resources for the high number of deaths. According to the doctor, the number of death certificates they issued in a week after the unblocking was 40 times that of the past month, and the special paper for death certificates was used up.
Dr. Zhou works in a public hospital in a city in southern China. He told the South China Morning Post that the shortage of medical resources was "unlike anything I've seen in the medical field for many years".
"We issued close to 80 death certificates in one week, but we usually only issue one or two a month. We even ran out of paper for death certificates and had to write impromptu copies," he said.
After the CCP abruptly abandoned "dynamic clearing" from December 2022, Zhou said he and his colleagues were simply confused because they had not systematically studied treatment options during the three-year covid pandemic.
"Our hospital is a mess, we don't know the specific conditions of the patients we receive, and when patients need intubation, we quickly use the ventilator," Zhou said.
Dr. Zhou also said, "In the past three years (the three years of the covid epidemic), we have not established a medical system that can prevent the covid virus. The role of the square cabin hospital is very limited, because what patients need more is oxygen masks and ventilators."
CCP invested on building square cabin hospitals and nucleic acid testing in the past three years, causing the medical system to collapse
During the past three years of implementing the "dynamic clearing" policy, the CCP did not invest in strengthening the medical system but spent huge sums of money on building shelter hospitals and nucleic acid testing. As a result, after the epidemic prevention policy was released, the medical system collapsed.
According to a report by Minsheng Securities in May 2022, the CCP may have spent 25.4 billion RMB on square cabin hospitals last year, plus the total cost of nucleic acid testing sites of 739.3 billion RMB, which is more than Luxembourg's GDP in 2022 or even higher.
"If China (the CCP) spent more than 730 billion RMB on medical research and development, expanding ICU beds, and recruiting and training medical personnel, the current medical system would not be so broken," Dr. Zhou said.
News (30)
Comparison of epidemic prevention and control expenditures of Guangdong and Fujian Provinces
Guangdong Province alone has spent a total of 146.8 billion RMB in the past three years starting in 2020 on the prevention and control of the covid pandemic, according to a provincial fiscal report released this month. The province spent 71.1 billion RMB ($10.5 billion) on prevention and control last year, a 57 percent increase from 2021.
According to data released by Fujian, the province's 2022 epidemic prevention expenditure will be 13.04 billion RMB (2 billion U.S. Dollars), a 56 percent increase from 2021. These charges amounted to 30.5 billion RMB ($4.6 billion) over the past three years.
The "Washington Post" once quoted Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow on global health issues at the US Council on Foreign Relations, as saying that China should have started preparing more intensive care beds and better vaccination coverage two and a half years ago but the CCP has focused on the "zero-covid" policy, which has reduced the resources used to do the above-mentioned preparations.
News (31)
Escort no longer? Tedros: The number of deaths from the epidemic in China is definitely much higher than the notification
Chinese officials recently announced that during the Lunar New Year holidays, the epidemic did not rebound significantly and no new mutant strains appeared. The current round of covid epidemic is coming to an end. However, regarding the current situation of the epidemic in China, World Health Organization Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus bluntly stated that the real number of deaths in China is definitely much higher than the number reported by the WHO!
Compared with the positive news from Chinese officials, there are rumors in rural areas that simple mourning halls can be seen everywhere on the roadside, and even the Taoist priests who perform rituals are too busy. A reporter from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) visited the rural areas of Shanxi Province, China, and saw the scene of the coffins being sold out and the funeral industry being busy. It was almost sold out, and the price has risen sharply. Some Chinese netizens described it as "the Spring Festival is like a Ching Ming Festival".
Three years after the World Health Organization first announced that the Wuhan pneumonia epidemic constituted a "public health emergency of international concern", the WHO Emergency Committee agreed with the Committee's proposal on whether COVID-19 should still be listed at the highest alert level in the world starting from the 27th. It is recommended that the event remain a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
Tedros hinted ahead of the meeting that the state of emergency was not over, noting that the death toll was climbing and warning that the global response to the crisis was "still faltering".
Tedros also emphasized that the number of deaths from the global epidemic in a single week fell below 10,000 in October last year, but rose again in early December. At that time, China lifted the epidemic prevention and control measures, causing the death toll from the epidemic to peak again. The reported death toll from the epidemic in mid-January approached 40,000, more than half of which were from China, and the real death toll in China was "definitely much higher."
In addition, according to the Voice of America (VOA) report, the price of natural gas in China is soaring now, and people cannot turn on the heating all night. However, the "dynamic clearing" policy has exhausted the local government's budget and cannot guarantee the natural gas heating of homes and businesses. As a result of this cold winter, the phenomenon of "difficulty heating" has been staged in many places in China.
News (32)
The outbreak has not been downgraded for 3 years, WHO: Covid remains a "public health emergency"
Image : The World Health Organization said the outbreak remains a "public health emergency of international concern". schematic diagram. (Reuters file photo)
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on 30 January 2023 that the world may be in a transition period of covid, and covid is an incident of "public health emergency of international concern" (PHEIC), calling on countries to respond cautiously to the outbreak.
"Agence France-Presse" reported that the World Health Organization held the 14th expert meeting since the outbreak last Friday. After the meeting, the WHO issued a statement stating that Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus "agreed with the committee's response to the current COVID-19 epidemic. recommendations and decided to continue classifying the event as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern". PHEIC is WHO's highest level of public health alert.
The statement also stated that Tedros "agreed with the committee's view that the epidemic may be in a transition period, and thanked the committee for its advice that the transition period should be approached carefully and potential negative effects should be mitigated."
The World Health Organization listed covid as a public health emergency of international concern on 30 January 2020, when the virus was gradually spreading outside China. On 11 March 2020, Tedros described covid as a "large scale epidemic".
According to WHO statistics, there have been a total of 752.517552 confirmed cases worldwide since the outbreak, and 6.804491 deaths.
News (33)
North Korea lifts Pyongyang lockdown again after declaring victory over virus
According to the news released by the Russian embassy in North Korea on 30 January 2023, North Korea has sent an official document to foreign embassies, announcing the lifting of the closure order of Pyongyang issued recently on the grounds of "increasing respiratory cases in winter".
The Yonhap News Agency reported that the Russian embassy in North Korea forwarded the official document sent by the Protocol Bureau of the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs on its Facebook account today. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Korea stated in the article that the "special protection period" that came into effect at 00:00 last Wednesday (25 January) has ended at 00:00 that day, and it has sent a letter to all diplomatic embassies and international agency offices to thank foreign embassy personnel for their efforts in the past several days of cooperation with high-intensity epidemic prevention measures.
The Protocol Bureau of the North Korean Foreign Ministry sent an official document to foreign embassies in the country last Wednesday, announcing that Pyongyang will enter a five-day special protection period. The notice only said there was an increase in "cases of unknown respiratory disease" without mentioning the new coronavirus. According to South Korean media reports, the North Korean government requires people to stay at home and take their temperature 4 times a day until the end of the special protection period on 29 January.
North Korea admitted last year that the covid outbreak was the first in the country, but it has never confirmed the number of domestic infected people, only reporting the number of "fever patients" every day. The country has reported a total of 4.77 million people out of a population of about 25 million, and since July 29 last year, no relevant cases have been reported. At the end of August last year, North Korea even announced that it had "defeated the virus."
News (34)
Believe it or not! China reports 6,364 deaths from the virus during the Lunar New Year week, halved from the previous week
The China CDC reported at night of 28 January 2023 that from 20 January to 26 January 2023, among the covi infections in hospitals in mainland China there were 6364 deaths. This figure was halved from the previous week.
According to the official website of CDC on the evening of the 28th, as of 26 January, there were 215,958 hospitalized cases in mainland China, and 26,156 severe cases. From 20 to 26 January, 31 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government) and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps medical institutions accumulated a total of 6,364 deaths related to covi infection in hospitals.
The report shows that the number of deaths in hospitals in mainland China in the latest week has halved from the previous week; the number of existing hospitalized cases has also been reduced by more than half.
China CDC reported on the 21st that from 13 to 19 January, a total of 12,658 deaths related to covi infection in hospitals in mainland China; on 29 January, there were 471,739 hospitalized cases.
Today is the third notification that China has changed to report the epidemic situation to medical institutions. From 8 December 2022 to 26 January 2023, a total of 78,960 hospitalized deaths have been reported by the authorities, which is far from the data estimated by international agencies.
News (35)
Hu Xinyu's case adds another doubt: Hung in the granary, clothes worn backwards
The case of Hu Xinyu added more doubts. Hu’s mother told mainland media on 30 January 2023 that the body was found in a grain storage warehouse, with only a jacket worn backwards. As soon as the news came out, it once again caused a public outcry.
According to a mainland "Red Star News" report on the 30th, Hu Xinyu's mother, Ms. Li, said that Hu Xinyu's body was found in a grain storage warehouse and was "hung by shoelaces".
Hu Xinyu's mother said that when she saw her son, his body was already rotted, almost a "skeleton", and only the shape of the head could barely tell that it was his son. The body was only wearing a coat at the time, which appeared to be worn backwards.
According to the report, other family members of Hu Xinyu said that they searched around the place where the body was found more than once or twice, but they never entered the warehouse.
The day before (29 January), the police in Shangrao, Jiangxi Province issued a report stating that they received a report on 28 January that a hanged body was found in the woods in the Jinjishan area of Hekou Town. After receiving the report, the public security personnel found that the deceased was dressed in the same clothes as Zhiyuan Middle School student Hu Xinyu when he disappeared. On 29 January, a DNA test was carried out on the deceased, and it was determined that the deceased was Hu Xinyu.
Image : On 29 January, the Public Security Bureau of Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province issued a circular. (Internet screenshot)
The police report and Hu Xinyu's mother's description to the media once again caused a public outcry. Some netizens questioned on Weibo:
"Didn't you say it was in the woods? Why is there a granary again? Didn't the warehouse be searched for the corpse? I think people who haven't been a policeman in this kind of place should go in and have a look."
"I'm a little confused. Didn't the official say yesterday that it was hung in the woods? Today, how did the family members find it in the warehouse?"
"I just want to know if his internal organs are still there?" "No one has entered this warehouse for more than three months?"
Someone else asked, "Since it is a confidential granary, how can children enter?"
Some Chinese netizens searched and found that the place of Hu Xinyu's "death" was only a wall away from the middle school he attended, and the distance from the deceased was only 100 metres.
During the three months since Hu Xinyu's disappearance, the police have always refused to file a case.
In response to Hu Jinyu's disappearance, some Twitter users commented mockingly, "When you are alive, you can escape the surveillance and disappearance in the school, and after you are dead, you can avoid the carpet search. Such a brilliant operation is really not something ordinary people can do!"
Cai Shenkun, an independent commentator, said, “What’s interesting is that the local police organized a net-like search of the mountain, equipped with police dogs, but they couldn’t find the corpse within 450 metres of the school. Who would believe it!"
15-year-old Hu Xinyu is studying in the first grade of Zhiyuan Middle School in Qianshan County. According to the surveillance video records provided by the school, at 17:49 on 14 October 2022, Hu Xinyu appeared outside the dormitory building. This is the last picture of Hu Xinyu's whereabouts so far, and there has been no news since then.
After Hu Xinyu disappeared, including the local Yanshan County Public Security Bureau, Yanshan County Blue Sky Rescue Team, Qianshan Green Boat Rescue Team, teachers and students at the school all tried to search for Hu Xinyu's trace but there was no clue.
Ms. Fan, a citizen of Fuzhou, Fujian, told NTDTV on 30 January, "Our surveillance probes are everywhere. Why can't you find a living person? We don't know who the DNA is. We just want to know that his organs are still there." No. I think what happened to Hu Xinyu’s case? It seems like people are looking for children all over the country.”
Bizarre disappearances like Hu Xinyu's are not unique in mainland China. In November 2022 alone, there were frequent cases of student disappearances in Hubei, Jiangxi and other places. Among them was Liu Aocheng, a 14-year-old student from Wuhan who disappeared after going downstairs to throw garbage.
Eight days later, someone found the body of a boy on the shore of Tianxingzhou Island, and Liu Aocheng's father confirmed that it was his son. It was rumoured on the Internet that when the child was found, "the organs were gone" in the body, and some netizens left a message: "It's terrible!"
Video
Hu Xinyu hung from a tree, sank into a lake, and died on the operating table, missing for 106 days! Relay broke the news to restore the whole picture? Big shots in Beijing involved! The truth about Zhiyuan Middle School; the route where Hu was kidnapped! The horrific incident happened, and the insider revealed the inside story; the police notified the "death script", and the next step was thought out｜Dayu News Insider
